Video goes viral of man in Army uniform

Cellphone video shot after a West Palm Beach funeral is stirring controversy as it is shared tens of thousands of times online.

WPTV

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Cellphone video shot after a West Palm Beach funeral is stirring controversy as it is shared tens of thousands of times online.

A man is featured in the video wearing a decorated Army uniform as people ask the man questions about his service. The video was shared more than 30,000 times in two days on Facebook alone before it was removed.

In the video, the man says he was a Sergeant Major in the Army. He is wearing a Bronze Star and Silver Star on his jacket.

“You got the Bronze Star with a "V" - no, what'd you get it for?” asks one of the men.

“Saving lives,” he said.

WPTV spoke with the man in the video, who refused to go on camera and said he was angry at the social media postings. He identified himself as 44-year-old Cornelius Davis, showing dog tags and scars.

A spokesperson for the United States Army says the items on the uniform do not make sense and are not correct.

The Army says it has no record of a Cornelius Davis with the date of birth he provided having served in the Army since 1999.

Manuel Moreno Jr. is one of many veterans who saw the video online. He said he didn’t know whether the man in uniform had ever served, but he pointed out several inconsistencies in the dress.

“Especially in these times when we have so many men and women and their families who sacrifice. It's just wrong,” he said.

Despite the Army having no record of his name and birthday, Davis still maintains that he was in the military.

The Army says it is not illegal to dress up in uniform.

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